Putting both hands up in a meeting

Lynn Carneson-McGregor, a social psychologist and senior partner in a management consultancy called Decision Development, demonstrated to a Dartington Conference in Devon an interesting way of getting a very large audience to participate more fully: you put one hand up if you 'resonate' with what someone is asking or you put both hands up if you have an answer, suggestion or positive contribution. In her case it went something like this:

- 'What for your life is a crucial question you want to work on?' The person she asked the question of said 'Mine is how to find time to do all I need to do.'
- 'If somebody asks a question and you can identify with it, you put a hand up.' Quite a few people put a hand up, so Carneson-McGregor could then see that it was a question worth pursuing.

The person then repeated the question and Carneson-McGregor continued:

- 'If anyone has suggestions or contributions or answers to give, please put both hands up.' She then numbered those who had both hands up, '1, 2, 3, 4,' so they knew when it would be their turn to talk.

It made for an involved feeling, yet within an orderly discussion.

'Those with an experience to share, please raise both hands'

Another way of using this technique in, for instance, a discussion period after a talk, is to say: 'those with questions, please put one hand up; those with an experience to share, please raise both hands.' This way it is easier to develop the mix between 'information' and 'sharing' which suits the particular meeting.

Lynn Carneson-McGregor, Decision Development, 34 Courthope Road, London NW3 2LD (tel 071 485 9938; fax 071 267 2183).

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